Pills and Pennies

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

http://news.yahoo.com/u-health-body-recommends-birth-control-coverage-181409769.html

A U.S. medical advisory group recommended providing women free birth control and other preventive health services under the nation's healthcare overhaul.

The Institute of Medicine report, commissioned by the Obama administration, recommended that all U.S.-approved birth control methods -- including the "morning after pill," taken shortly after intercourse to forestall pregnancy -- be added to the federal government's list of preventive health services.

"The evidence supporting contraception is quite straightforward. It works," said Dr. Alfred Berg, a member of IOM's Committee on Preventive Services for Women.


Well, if it didn't work then there wouldn't be much point in selling it, would there? *ahem* Okay, smartass asides aside I fully agree with the this idea. People who aren't really interested in being parents tend to not make the best parents. Yes, I'm making a generalization. Live with it.

However, as expected, there is opposition to this.

Without sufficient legal protection for rights of conscience, such a mandate would force all men, women and children to carry health coverage that violates the deeply-held moral and religious convictions of many," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the bishops' conference.

Ya know, somehow I doubt little Johnny gives a fuck where the sales tax on his Slurpee will be spent by Uncle Sam. But I think this position is absurd. The US is a representative democracy. That means, for good or ill, the people we vote for get to decide how the $ gets spent. Complaining like this is like saying that a pacifist shouldn't have their tax dollars spent on jet fighters.

Top Gun hatin' hippies aside, it's just unworkable that we should all get to decide just where our tax dollars get spent. It would be a paperwork nightmare that makes dealing with a FAFSA seems like a walk in the park. Then there's collection and making sure every penny went where it was intended. Madness! Madness, I tell you.

Living according to your values is your job. Spending your taxes in whys that will benefit the US as a whole is the government's job.

Comments

[midsummerskies.livejournal.com]

A lot of pro life people are very anti the morning after pill because there is a tiny chance that fertilisation has taken place

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Why do we still pretend the opinions of a representative of a morally corrupt organization like the RCC matter?

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

Because Catholics vote.

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The RCC was so strong it stopped the court from deciding RvW.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Complaining like this is like saying that a pacifist shouldn't have their tax dollars spent on jet fighters.

Well, such complaints was the basis of Thoreau's civil disobedience against slavery...

It seems it would be impossible Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo's demands. Surely providing any level of financial welfare could be sent on contraception. Or roads, dammit. People use public roads to drive to the chemist to buy condoms. Sinners!

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

Well, such complaints was the basis of Thoreau's civil disobedience against slavery...


And, interestingly enough, a neat critique of all of these ideas about conscious clauses in people's civic participation. Thoreau took his lumps for his beliefs.

Figuring out a way for someone to be exempt from their tax dollars going to anything they object is a lazy protest. If the Cardinal is concerned about this, why doesn't he promote that his followers become tax protestors and take some actual RISK to highlight the importance of their cause? If it is life itself they are concerned for, wouldn't it be worth it?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Thoreau. Is that the guy who went to jail until someone else paid his debts?

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

Not in the USA myself, but I agree that -

"Living according to your values is your job. Spending your taxes in whys that will benefit our nation as a whole is the government's job."

I don't agree with my guvvermint's subsidy on the nuclear power industry, but I pay my taxes.

You may be interested to note that the Uk has had such provisions for contraception and its availability for decades. nice to see the US shaping up to join the est of the world on this.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

The evidence supporting contraception is quite straightforward. It works

I think he's saying that it's effective in tackling population wide medical issues, not that it stops you from getting up the duff.


Also, will tax free churches stop complaining about how tax is spent please?

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

Also, will tax free churches stop complaining about how tax is spent please?

Are you saying the people may only talk about issues that they pay for? In that case, people that pay no taxes should not have the right to talk about anything.

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

How does obama's medical group plan to pay for the free birth control?

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

You do get that this is a suggestion from an advisory group, right?

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

We're paying for it by not having as many families on welfare because of unplanned pregnancies.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Eh, it's the Catholic clergy.

And...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... bishops at that.

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Yes, America IS a representative democracy and as such, the opinion of the majority should be represented. So what is the majority opinion on birth control covered by insurance?

(Personally, I'd rather see birth control covered by insurance than abortion.)

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

That's great. So what's the majority's opinion on increasing the taxes for the richest? Oh excuse me, I meant using the new fancy PC term "job creators".

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

That's totally not how representative democracy works, but anyway.

I disagree.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Given modern machine technology, it should not be difficult to tailor spending to the ideological profile of the taxpayer. It would be interesting to see how the chips would fall if only decent people funded social programs and only vicious people funded military programs.

Re: I disagree.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

This fails because people can't possibly think of EVERYTHING they need from the government.

"Oh wow, those pills I took are turning my skin blue. Dang! I wish I'd remembered to send money to the FDA on my taxes! Oh well, guess it's the Smurf life for me."

[bex.livejournal.com]

Hah.

Today I thought to myself "Wow, you don't know how lucky you are until you're in trouble and need help" as I handed over my credit card to pay $50 for an emergency contraceptive. I'm in a committed relationship, getting married in December, a full-time employee and graduate student, and our contraceptive method failed last night. While it's highly, highly improbable that what happened would result in a pregnancy, I wanted to take the emergency contraceptive NOW rather than wait a month and then find out, oops, even statistically improbable things happen sometimes!

And as I handed over my $50, I thought to myself, I am one lucky girl. I have $50 for this pill. I don't need to wait a month, freaking the hell out, counting days until my period, only to find that that period isn't coming and now I need $200 for an abortion or [some enormous amount of money and a lifetime committment] for a child. I know low-income women who couldn't put their hands on $10 if they needed it, let alone $50. For others, they could get $50 but it would come out of their grocery money, or money for rent, or whatever else. It's a LOT of money. I totally support doing whatever possible to make this option available for any woman who needs it.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

If the cost of free birth controls outweighs the societal costs of not having free birth control, do it up!

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

Plus, less crowded classrooms!

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

I doubt little Johnny gives a f*ck where the sales tax on his Slurpee will be spent by Uncle Sam.
Little Johnny should care where his tax dollars are spent, at least in a general sense, and he should pay attention to the budgets and legislation passed by the people democratically elected to represent him. Everyone should. Otherwise, the mandate given to the "people we vote for" to govern and to spend taxpayers' money is a farce.
making sure every penny went where it was intended
You know if the government had accountants, they could probably keep track of the money they spend. Now I know why Obama wants to raise the debt ceiling.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

Little Johnny can worry about that shit when he's old enough to vote. In the meantime no doubt he would rather focus on relevant things like StarCraft and internet porn.